Set Asunder
by Seph Meadowes
Summary: And just like that, with a bang of a door and a closet of empty clothes, Charlie’s life fell into a million tiny pieces. Charlie-centric. Charlie/Renee. Complete.


_"The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart __asunder."_ – **Virginia Woolf**

Charles Evander Swan was the type of person to disbelieve in a lot of things in life. He stopped believing in fairytales at a fairly young age, he stopped believing in Santa years before his classmates did and he never even considered the existence of an afterlife or ghosts and spirits and whatever ridiculous things the movies were spouting about. Charlie was a fairly logical man, he believed in seeing things for himself before he put any large amount of faith into anything.

Of course, let us put into consideration that Charlie's cynical behavior may have sported from being orphaned before he could even talk. And having your only legal guardian being your uncle, the town's chief who only believed in two things in life – shit and more shit. It's really no wonder that Charlie would turn out the way he did.

But still, he didn't grow up too bad. He believed in things like justice, peace and integrity and hoped to become a cop one day just like his uncle who thought him the importance of these traits. Charlie believed in hard work, friendship and the simple and good things in life. He was the least complicated person there was; what you see was what you really get with him and no one complained to him about it, if anything they appreciated how honest and forward he was.

Renee Higginbothom didn't seem to. Out of all the girls in his high school, Renee with her blue eyes and pretty smile wanted out of the boring and predictable town she grew up in. He knew that as soon as she graduated, she'd be packing her bags to go on some misguided adventure and end up one of those girls that were whispered around town like the bad plague.

Still, Renee was sweet and fun, and although a little flakey, was well-meaning and could make him laugh like no other person could. It didn't take him much to fall in love with her because like all things with him, love for Charlie was simple and easy. He adored her laugh and her big dreams that even if he knew he couldn't follow, he supported her. He listened with a child-like enthusiasm, a feeling he'd never experience before, as she told him of her plans for herself, for _them_, their future. He would marry her, he quickly decided and things would be as close as perfect as they ever will be.

She immediately said yes when he proposed and they had a small ceremony in city hall with his uncle and her mom in attendance. She didn't get to wear a fancy gown like she told him about but she seemed happy enough in the simple, plain dress her mom leant her because he thought that even if what they had was little, they could still be happy, he could still satisfy her somehow.

She smiled through the entire ceremony, giggled as he slid the ring; he had worked tirelessly all year to buy, on her finger and kissed him sweetly on the lips. He wasn't one for clichés but he _did _feel like the happiest man in the world.

The next few months were blissful; they bought a small house with their little savings. Renee painted the rooms in bright pastel colors as Charlie moved the hand-me-down furniture into their new home. Charlie got a job as depute at the station and Renee worked between the school library part-time and waitressing at the restaurant nearest to their house. It was tough, they both sometimes felt so stretched adjusting to their new lives as adults with bills they had to pay on their own and responsibilities that were sometimes too much to handle. But it was worth it, he thought, worth every second of it.

Then Bella came into their lives and things couldn't have been more wonderful. For the first time in his life, Charlie was unsure about how to act; he didn't really know what to do to with the baby. He never was one for outward affection but this baby demanded it with her warm brown eyes and he could not help but love the prettiest baby he had ever seen.

Something about giving birth though awakened something in Renee, something she'd been hiding or suppressing for a while because suggestions of moving suddenly came up and after he made sure to tell her that he didn't plan on leaving Forks, she had withdrawn herself. She spent most days, either working or taking care of Bella, conversation between them became sparse and he worried that he may have done a terrible mistake.

"Is something wrong?" He asked one night before bed and she shook her head at him, sighing before she turned her back on him and went to sleep.

For the next months, they had nothing but silence, small conversations sometimes regarding household matters or Bella but they never laughed together anymore or told each other about their day. Charlie tried his best, God, he tried everything he could do to try and reach out to her. But he always found himself rebuffed and he got even more frustrated as day after day passed with the emotional distance growing between them.

It was November when it happened; he could still remember everything about that moment, the snow falling outside, the game playing on the TV and Renee's footsteps as she descended down the stairs, her suitcase and Bella in hand.

He tried to stop her, asking, shouting and begging, anything to get her to stay, to not leave him because he loved her, Jesus, he loved her so much.

"Let me go, Charlie," She only replied, coldly, unfeeling and he cringed away from her. She didn't turn to even look at him as he walked out the door.

And just like that, with a bang of a door and a closet of empty clothes, Charlie's life fell into a million tiny pieces. Never to be reconstructed again and forever left broken to rot, because that was the day, at the age of nineteen, did Charlie Swan stop believing in love and happy endings altogether.

* * *

**Because Charlie was such an adorable dad in New Moon and I just knew he could've been a pretty cool guy when he was younger. Is it me or is Renee somewhat bitchy? But anyway, poor Charlie.**


End file.
